Target trap



Feb. 13, 1923. 1,445,371. B. P. VICKERY.

TARGET TRAP.

mm on. 17, 1921. 4 SHEETS-SHFET 1.

Feb. 13, 1923. 1,445,371. B! F! VICKERY.

TARGE TRAP HLEJD 00,112. 1921. 4 SHEETS-SHEET 2- '2 lllllllllll H w T7 W 3 n z 4 5H. n M l u; :& ME s l m M H w m w w w P. M D T w. B n

Feb. 13, 1923.-

ww wb Mm o ficeotfx Fatented Feb. 13, 1923.

BIEIQJl-LMIN P. VICKERY, OF BRADLEY, ILLINOIS, A SSIG-N OR G13 ONE-HALF TO ELMER E. PERKINS, (11F CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.

TARGET TRAP.

Application filed October 17, 1921.

To all whom it may cone-em:

Be it known that I, BENJADIIN P. ViolinRY, a citizenof the United States, residing Bradley, in the countyof Kankakee and State of Illinois. have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Target Traps, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to target traps of the'type employed for throwing or project ing flying targets, commonly known as clay pigeons for trap shooting. One of the pri mary purposes of my invention is to provide a trap which will be simple in construction, easy to manipulate, one which will not be liable to get. outof order, one which will be accurate and reliable in operation, andone which will be capable of the various adjust-- ments requisite to give the targets the various desirable directions of flight.

Another object of my invention is to provideatarget trap in which. but one operating lever or instrumentality is necessary for manipulating the trap, this lever being adapted to control mechanism which not only restores the throwing arm to set position, but also retains it in this. position, manipulation of the lever in one direction being adapted to restore the arm and in the opposite direction torelease the arm permitting the throwing operation to take place.

Other objects and advantages of my invention should be readily appreciated as the same becomes better understood by reference to the following .description, when consid ered in connection with the accompanying drawings.

Referring to the drawings Fig. 1 is a plan view of a target trap emhodying my invention; a

Fig. 2 is a similar view showing the throwing arm in set position;

Fig. 3 is a side elevation ot the trap shownin Fig. 1;

Fig. 4 isa sectional detail view on .the line 4; of Fig. 5;

i Fig. 5 is a longitudinal sectional View;

Fig. 6 is a sectional View on the line -66 of Fig.1;

Fig. 7 isa fragmentary sectional view -on the line 7-7 of Fig. '3;

'Fig. 8 is an enlarged planview of the Serial No. 508,241,

target holding devices with the targets in position therein;

Fig. 9 Fig.

is a side view; and lo 1s a new oi one oi the target holdmg devices in open position {or the reception of a target.

I detail struction upon. which nism is mounted, this base being e'lcrring now to the drawings more in rererence character 11 indicates gena base or platform of suitable conthe operating mechapreferably equipped with hearings to accommodate the sliding rod 12 connected at its rear end to 11:. operating lever (11 the trap is manipulated. The has bearing opening 13 receive the center column 14 ot' a vi (led with a standard 15, that por which rests upon the with a circumferential is disposed an arcuate metal secured to the b of bolts 18, this strap serving lock the standard to the base ot shown) by which e 11 is protime permit of rota-tire movements of the an d ard relatively up on the base.

Upon the standard if there is 'lulcrumed upon the noriaoi'itally itrame 21 bifurcated as 2, the rear end of the frame disposed 7 bolts 19 a. shown in Figs. 1 and being equipped with a handle 22 by which the Frame and standard may be swung in the bearing opening 13 to vary the direction of flight of the handle the frame is mg lugs 23 to which a the lower end of the targets from the trap, and forwardly of this equipped with depend link 24 is connected, link being equipped with a member 25 comprising a horizontal portion 26 adapted to zontally slotted arm 2'? iron: the standard.

the portion 26 of the lock this member in an may be adjusted longi 27, and it will be ing the member 25 in of .the arm, the height frame 21 may be adjusted so of flight of the targets regulated at will. extends in proximity rest upon a horiextendin rearwa idly .sl. bolt 28 extending through the slot in tl 1e arm and through member 25 serves to y position to which it tudinally oil the arm manifest that by adjustwardly or outwardly of the rear end of the that the height from the trap may be The arm 27 rests upon or to a rib 29 formed adapted to upon the restoring lever "end with a threaded rod 52 extending' which the arm is against the base upon the upperface of the base 11, and this rib is provided at intervals with openings 31 adapted to receive removable pins 32, by locked in any position to which it may be adjusted relatively to the base. It will be manifest, therefore, thaprovision is made for varying-both the horizontal and vertical. directions of flight of the targets from the trap.

)n the forward end of the frame 21 there is fulcrumed upon a bolt 38 a re-setting or restoring lever 34, and above this lever and rotatably mounted upon the same bolt 33 there is disposed the hub which carries the throwing arm This hub shaped on its periphery to provide a notch 37, and

34 there is pivotally mounted a dog 38 which is urged toward and into engagement with this notch bya spring 39 attached at one end to the dog and at its other end to an eye 41 carried by the outer end of the arm 34. The restoring arm 35% is normally held in the position shown in F 1 by a tractilespring 1-2 attached at one end to the lever arm 34; and at its opposite end to an eye 43 near the rear end of the frame 21. The lever 34: is swung from the position shown in Fig. 1 to that shown in Fig. 2 by means of a chain 1 1 attached at one end to the eye 41, and trained over pulleys 15 and 46 mounted respectively on the frame 21 and the base 11, the opposite end of the chain being connected through an eye 417 to the operating rod 12 slidably mounted in the base. Rearward movement of this rod will exert a pull upon the chain which will swing the lever 3 1 into the position shown in Fig. 2, and when pull upon the chain is released, this lever will be restored to the normal position shown in Fig. 1 by is swung in a clockwise direction, into the position shown in Fig. 2, the dog 38 acting ot the notch 37 on the throwing arm hub 35 will rotate this hub so as to swing the throwing arm into the set position shown in Fig. 2.

The hub 35 is equipped with a short arm 18 disposed at an angle of 180 with respect to the arm 36, and a strong tractile spring" 419 is attached through an eye 51 to this arm 48 and is equipped at its opposite through an opening in an upright 53 projecting from the frame 21, tension upon the springs) being regulated by means of a nut 54- threaded into the rod 52 and prefer ably equipped with a crank handle 55 by the spring 42. When this lever' holding the arm in the extreme position to which it swings during the throwing action and to prevent reverse movement thereof, 1 have mounted upon the throwing arm, in radial alinement with the ratchetbar 56, a channel shaped latch 58 provided with long and short depending tails 59 and 61, respectively, which are adapted to engage with the ratchet teeth as shown in Fig. 7. An expansion spring disposed between the latch 58 and the head of a bolt 631, extending through the latch and threaded into the arm 36, yieldingly urges the latch into engagement with the ratchet bar so that the throwing .arm is thereby automatically locked against reverse movement. Obviously, however, the construction of the latch and the ratchet teeth will permit further swinging movement of the arm in a clockwise direction into set position.

For the purpose of locking the arm in set position, I have fulcrumed upon a supporting arm (it carried by the frame 21, in a plane between the restoring lever 34. and the throwing arm 36, a latch or lever 65. which is normally held with its upper end 66 beneath the path of travel of the throwing arm 36 by means-of a tractile spring 67 attached at one end to the tail of the member and at its other end to one of the arms 57. That portion of the member 65 beneath its fulcrum is manifestly disposed in the path of travel of the restoring lever 34: and when this lever is moved, through the instrumentality of the chain 1 1, from the position shown in Fig. 1 to that shown in Fig. 2, it engages the member 65 and swings it in a clockwise direction upon its fulcrum, so as to dispose its upper end 66 in the path of the throwing arm 36, which is thereby held against swinging movementin a clockwise direction beyond the set position in which it is shown in Fig. 2. The throwing arm is also held against reversemovement by-"the dog 38 carried upon the restoring lever 34 and so long as tension is exerted upon the chain 414, the throwing arm will be held against movement in either direction.

The throwing arm-whenin set position is 1,445,871 vii end 66 from the path of the throwing arm, thus permitting this arm to swing in a cloclc wise direction under the influence of the strong spring 49, thus causing the projection of the target from the throwing arm which continues its movement under its own moii'ienti'im, until its assumes a position over the ratchet bar 56 where it is held against reverse movement by the latch While in this position the arm reloaded with one or more targets, whereupon the arm is moved to set position by a rearward pull upon the rod 12.

in trap shooting it is sometimes desirable to discharge two targets simultaneously from the trap, and sometin'ies one, and therefore I have shown in this instance an arm equipped with a plurality of target holding devices so that two targets may be discharged if desired, and if only one target is desired, but one of the devices need be loaded. In order to accommodate a plurality of targets, the arm 36 is forked at its outer end providing two termini 68 and 69, each having fixedly secured to its outer end a plate 71. Since the two holding devices are in all respects similar, but one of them will be described in detail. The two plates 71 are preferably, for purposes of rigidity, connected together by one or more brace membore 72.

Each plate 71 is shaped so to provide a stationary finger 7;; having undercut guide-ways 74: adapted to receive one edge of a target 7 5, the lower wall 76 of the groove being extended inwardly so as to afford an auequate support for the target. Upon the plate 71 the other movable finger 77 is pivoted a. 78, the inner end of the finger 7 7 being disposed beneath the plate as shown. A tractile spring 79 tends to normally hold the pivoted finger in the closed position shown in Fig. 8, thereby holding the target in place by means of a roller 81, preferably of rubber or other suitable material, carried near the outer extremity of the pivoted finger 77 When during the throwing movement of the arm, the centrifugal force exerted upon the tar get 75 exceeds the strength of the spring 79, the target will be forced outwardly and delivered from between the fingers, the pivoted. finger 77 being moved by the ejection of the target from the position shown in Fig. 8 to that shown in Fig. 10.

For the purposes of holding this pivoted linger in its open position, shown in Fig. 10, so that another target can be readily introduced between the fingers in the reloading operation, I have pivotally mounted upon the finger 77 upon a pin 82 a camshaped latch 83 having a face 84: disposed farther from the pivot pin 82 than the face A tractile spring 86 attached at one end to the latch and at its other to the plate 7L swings the latch, when the finger 77 is in open position, from the position shown in Fig. 8 to that shown in Fig. 10, thereby bringing the face 8% into engagement. with the edge of the plate 71 so as to lock the finger 77 in open position. lVhen in the reloading operation a target is introduced between the fingers, its inner edge engages a tail 87 projecting from the latch 88 between the fingers and as the target is forced inwardly into position it swings the tail 87 inwardly, thus releasing the latch so as to permit the pivoted finger to close into the position shown in Fig. 8 under the influence of the spring 79. It. will be manifest there fore that by holding the pivoted finger open so that-it offers no resistance to the introduction of a target between the fingers, the ease and rapidity with. which the loading operation may be performed is greatly increased, and since the spring 86 is relatively light, the tail 87 offers but slight resistance to the positioning of the target in the hand.

It is believed that my invention, its con struction, mode of operation and many of its inherent advantages will be understood from the foregoing without further description, and while I have shown and de scribed a preferred embodiment, obviously the details of construction are capable of considerable modification and variation without departing from. the essence of the invention as defined in the following claims.

I claim:

1. In a target trap the combination of a rotatable hub, a spring attached to one side thereof, a throwing arm projecting from the opposite side of said hub, an oscillatable lever pivoted concentrically with the hub, a dog carried by said lever in position to engage a notch in said hub, manual means for actuating said lever in one direction, a spring connected to said lever for moving the same in the opposite direction, and a stop pivoted on a fulcrum between. the planes of movement of said lever and said arm, the tail of said stop being disposed directly in the path of travel of said lever, whereby the stop is swimg on its ful crum to dispose the other end thereof in the path of said arm for holding the arm against movement beyond set position.

2, In a target trap, the combination of a rotatably mounted throwing arm, ratchet teeth disposed in proximity to the path of travel of said arm, a channel shaped pawl straddling said arm and projecting beneath the arm .in position to engage said ratchet teeth, and a spring for urging said pawl into engagement with said ratchet teeth whereby reverse movement of said arm is precluded.

In 2.- target trap, the combination of a. frame, a restori g); lever fulornmed thereon. a, throwing arm rotatably'monnted above and concentrically with said restoring lever,

an operative connection between said lever and said arm, means for actuating said lever and :1 stop fulcrm ned m e plane between said lever and said arm, the tail of said stop being" disposed directly in the path of movement of said arm, whereby said stop 10 is moved to dispose its upper end in the "path 01"? said arm to hold the arm in set position. v

BENJAMIN P VICKERY. 

